Bring the Fight against Capitalism into the NDP
By Jasmine Peardon, Socialist Caucus candidate for federal NDP President
Tragically, the NDP has followed the path of late capitalism– a system in dismal, dangerous decline. As environmental regulation and working-class power have been attacked from above, both capitalism and the party have increasingly centralized power at the top, becoming arrogantly distant from the lives and basic needs of the working class. This process has dis-empowered activists and socialists precisely at the moment they are needed most. These evident shifts are not the product of ‘errors’ but reflect the systemic pressures operating within the party.
My campaign for President is about bringing the fight against capitalism directly into the party’s core. It is about restoring meaningful democratic participation for voices that have been sidelined, even silenced. The party must become a vehicle for socialist and anti-imperialist movements, as well as for progressive youth, women, trans and Indigenous peoples, giving them real power in shaping its direction. This is the broader coalition we must build—one capable of advancing bold, transformative policy and committed to fighting for a more just and hopeful future.
Last year, I and 45 other researchers came together to draft the policy platform called “Capitalism Can’t be Fixed - Onward to a Socialist Future”. This product of profoundly democratic dialogue articulates policies that reflect the demands of workers, social movements, and caretakers of the planet. It calls for a radical renewal of democracy inside the party and out. My campaign for the NDP presidency advances that commitment.
A Federal Council under my leadership would champion a bold, unapologetic socialist transformation of this party and country. It would support and lead the party rank and file to organize working and oppressed people against corporate control, transfer democratic and economic power to the working class, and build a society rooted in justice, equality and solidarity.
As a young leader, I know that many of my generation do not see the NDP, or electoral politics in general, as a medium to find solutions to the structural challenges we face. As attested in the 2025 NDP Renewal Report, “young New Democrats often feel under-supported, tokenized, or sidelined in decision-making. They reported that messaging feels scripted and corporate”. The party has not been a place to develop as leaders or to exercise meaningful power. Older comrades in the party concur, and together we call for accountability and a democratic revolution in the party.
The NDP should, as a priority, strengthen its presence in workplaces and communities to develop progressive forces across the country. It should actively engage grassroots organizers, labour militants, and community leaders who are already building working-class power, and position the NDP to support and amplify their efforts. Only by rooting itself in social movements and in the broader struggle against capitalism can the NDP foster a democratic, member-driven organization capable of advancing a genuine alternative to a toxic system in decay.